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==Disadvantages==
[[File:Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Schematic of Earth's magnetosphere. The [[solar wind]] flows from left to right.]]
The risk of [[Proton#Human_exposure|proton exposure]] from the [[solar wind]] as well as the [[health threat from cosmic rays]] is significant. The Earth's [[magnetosphere]] protects against solar storms but provides little protection from the more energetic cosmic radiation - the Earth's atmosphere protects us from that{{cn}}.
In the Earth–Moon system, the orbit of colonies at L3–L5 will take them outside the protection of Earth's [[magnetosphere]] for approximately two-thirds of the time (as occurs with the Moon). Colonies at L1 (located between Earth and the Moon) will experience this to a lesser degree, whereas L2 (located beyond the Moon) will experience this to a greater degree and all of them will be exposed to the little-understood [[plasma sheet]] of the [[Magnetosphere#Magnetic tails|magnetotail]].<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/magnetotail_080416.html The Moon and the Magnetotail - Tony Phillips (2008)]</ref>
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